This is a straight-from-the-headlines kind of novel. The references to missing children cases will seem almost too familiar in this slowly unwinding thriller from Laura Wilson.

We are plunged straight into action. When Janice receives a phone call from the daughter she gave up for adoption decades before to tell her that Dan, her brother, has passed away, she is, understandably, shocked. She knew nothing of this daughter from the moment she gave her away all those years ago. So how did she come to have a relationship with Dan? And what exactly is the truth about Molly, the granddaughter she didn’t even know she had? The girl believes vehemently that she is not who her mother says she is — that she is another girl entirely.

Confused? Wilson’s greatest strength here is in her ability to keep the reader guessing until the last page. The novel is filled with suspense, with a sense that there is something sinister happening that Janice is not able to see.

Wilson fleshes out her characters deftly, and Janice’s warmth and intriguing back story add extra depth. The chapters are unusually short, which adds a rapidity to the novel and keeps the narrative moving at a fitting pace, Acclaimed in her genre, Wilson’s latest excellent novel with its thrilling story and a collection of intriguing characters, shows the extraordinary talent she offers.